Musical evening ‘Ritu Malhar’ celebrates monsoon ragas

Varanasi: A musical evening titled Ritu Malhar was organised at Mahamana auditorium of the Malaviya Mulya Anusheelan Kendra, BHU on Monday. The event was jointly hosted by Malaviya Mulya Anusheelan Kendra, the Centre for Intercultural Studies, and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), Regional Centre, Varanasi.Noted classical vocalist Ramshankar enthralled the audience with a series of soulful renditions steeped in Malhar tradition. He opened the performance with Ramdas ji Malhar, presenting the compositions "Sakal Van Hulsai" (drut khayal) and "Badi-Badi Boondan", evoking the essence of the monsoon. This was followed by renditions of Raga Miyan Malhar, Raga Gaud Malhar, and other Malhar variants that filled the auditorium with a deeply immersive musical atmosphere.His presentation of the Khamaj thumri ‘Thadhe Rahiyo O Banke Yaar' charmed the listeners, while his concluding piece—the Meera bhajan ‘Paras Man Hari Ke Charan' left the audience profoundly moved. Supporting Ramshankar on stage were his disciples Ishan Ghosh and Pranav Shankar on vocals. Tabla accompaniment was provided by Pankaj Rai, while Pankaj Sharma enriched the recital on the swar mandal (surmandal).The evening began with floral tributes at the statue of BHU founder Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya. Prof Rajkumar, director of the Centre for Intercultural Studies, delivered the welcome address, and Prof Sanjay Kumar, coordinator of the Malaviya Mulya Anusheelan Kendra, presented the thematic introduction.The programme was attended by Abhijit Dixit, director of IGNCA, Regional Centre, Varanasi along with distinguished academicians and music enthusiasts, including Prof Archana Kumar, Venu Vanita, and Kumar Ambrish Chanchal.